Readers of the #HiddenTrove

Hello to all of my readers! Great to see you again. Well, it's great to know that you're checking in again.

I wanted to let you know that I'm part of a lovely little group on Facebook and we have a group for our readers/fans to interact with us! All you have to do is join Readers of The Hidden Trove.

Guess what!!!! 

I get to have my week of activities starting Monday (October 10, 2016). Since I have so many fans that check up on me here, I thought maybe some of you would like to join in the fun there too.

Monday will be a running story that group members can add to... three words at a time.

Tuesday I'll be talking about some of my favorite childhood books! Join in the discussion that will start after lunch (east coast USA time).

Wednesday I have a special treat in store. In a mini sample of how my ShortBooks by Snow Flower are created, I'll be doing quickies. These will be around 500 words long and I will base them on only FOUR questions!!!! These will be limited due to needing time to write. I'm estimating 30-45 minutes to write each with a few minutes in between to rest my fingers and feed my tummy.

Thursday I'll have teasers and testimonials of books I've already written.

Friday will be FABULOUS FUN! And a bit of a challenge for everyone...

Find fun finishing favorite fairy-tales filled forever from fabulous fans. Use unusually unexpected utterances until unable. Pick particular pronouncements pending perfect purveyors’ parvenus. (In other words, write a sentence that helps create/add to the story, but you can only use words that begin with the same first letter in each sentence! No limit on sentence length, but it must use the words correctly.)

So, stop by. Join the group. Have fun. Meet other great authors. Interact with me! I'm looking forward to meeting you there!

A Call For Assistance

Hello dear readers. I would not be where I am without you. I'm working on taking my writing to the next level. I want to go from a hobby that I love to a business that I love. To do this, I'm asking for your assistance.

I have a great opportunity to advertise on a popular, local, talk radio show. The listeners are estimated around 50,000 and it is conservatively estimated that I cold reach at least 10% of these listeners and convert them to customers for my ShortBooks by Snow Flower.

The only thing holding me back is the cost of the advertising fees. Therefore, I'm turning to you for assistance. I'm traveling along my path and climbing my mountain. To help me along the way, I've set up a GoFundMe page.

Please help with what you can and share when you do so that others will know about my goals. I hope to give away a lot of rewards with the contributions.

This is a huge step for me and I'll need some writers to join me also. If you'd like more information about the writing opportunities, email me.

I want your new favorite book to be the one I make for you.

Working Away From Home

WOW! It's amazing how much time can fly by when you get your first secular job in about EIGHT years!

Well, sometimes you have to suck it up and just get it done when you have goals and deadlines to meet. Anyway, we have some great news!!!

To Eris - Human

is getting a gorgeous new cover! The reveal is this coming Saturday, but if you want to see it earlier and enter to win a giveaway for your very own SIGNED paperback with said new cover.... Just join us in sharing the news!

Don't have a blog? NOT A PROBLEM! Share where you can. Just let us know where.

Want an extra chance to win?

Refer someone else to join the reveal and not only do they get entered to win, but you get an extra entry too!!!

NEW RELEASE - Keeper's Challenge

NOW Available on Amazon

The Keeper’s Challenge 

by Sabina Bundgaard

Blurb:

I am the Keeper of the covens book, but have no magical powers.

I have always walked my own way and am proud of what I’ve done. My beloved bookstore is my safe haven. Now trouble is brewing in the magical world. Three Keepers have been brutally murdered, their books missing.

Now it is after me and my book. Teaming up with agents Vladimir Stanislav and Jake Levis is my only chance at surviving.

My name is Anna Carringthon, and I am the Keeper of the Invicto. I will protect it to my death.

Join the

Facebook Release Day Party

TODAY!!!

Meet the Author: 

Sabina Bundgaard lives in Denmark with her husband and their two children. By day she races around the countryside, delivering mail and packages to people. By night…. Well, that’s a different story.

While drinking one of her many flavors of tea, she delves into the mysterious realms of her imagination. Writing about everything from Elves and Dragons to Romance
and Erotica, she tries her wings to see where they will take her.

Her favorite pastime when not writing is reading, making jewelry, and speaking to her friends all over the world. Celebrating their victories and happy times.

http://www.sabinabundgaard.com/

10 Stepping Stones to Success

The path that lay before us all has no stepping stones to mark the way. We set them as we go. One step at a time, always moving forward, always toward the goal... toward SUCCESS.



In order to reach your own success, you must:




1 - Find Your PASSION
You have to find what you love. This is different for everyone and it comes from within. It doesn't matter if others think it silly, a waste of time, not good enough... If you feel strong enough about it, then it IS good enough. If you could talk about or do something all day, every day and never tire then you have a passion. You can feel the energy that envelopes you and that same energy will radiate and pull others in. More importantly, if you hold that passion it will take YOU where you want to go.

2 - SET a Goal

Speaking of... where DO you want to go? This may take some time to figure out, but don't get stuck here. You should have at least a vague idea of what you want and to start that's all you need... a direction - something to focus on. You can fine tune it later. This is where your dreams come into play. Sure you will have smaller goals, but set up the big one... the mountain in the distance. This should be something you can see from any distance in your life. It is your becon. If you can't see it, you're going the wrong way.

3 - STOP Making Lists
Lists are fine, but don't be that person who makes a list of lists that you need to do and then collect all the lists together to see what you can consolidate into a new list. There are many ways of making lists. I've learned that writing a literal list isn't the only way. We make mental lists too. Every time we go through all the "reasons" we can or can't do something, those are lists. We need to STOP making the lists and finally ACT. Get up and DO it already. All the lists in the world will not accomplish a single thing.

4 - TAKE That First Step
Taking that first step has been hyped up as something so unsurmountable, something so terrifying. It's not. Why can't we get as excited over every first step as we do when our children learn to walk? They don't fear it. We don't fear it. We encourage it, hope for it, praise it, and share it. Transfer that same response to every first step in our lives. Yes, it's the hardest, but when we take that step, each following step becomes easier.

5 - ...DON'T Stop Moving
You've started! Now keep going. You know where you want to go. You can see it in the distance. You have to keep moving to get there. The mountain really isn't going to come to you (even if your name is Mohammad). We don't have to be going full steam ahead to be moving, but we do need to move. Don't be satisfied with stopping. You have a goal. If you haven't reached it, you're not done. If you have reached it... set another one.

6 - WHEN You Fall, GET UP
Everyone falls sometimes. No one is above making mistakes. The point is not that you fell down, it's that you pick yourself back up and keep going from there. Life will come at you... that's what life does, but you can't allow distractions to keep you down. Don't give up on your goals, your passion, or yourself. Be your own biggest fan and cheerleader. We can't control everything around us, but we can and DO control how we respond to it.

7 - NO MORE Excuses
If you think you have it hard, I'm sure with very little work you can find at least 10 people who have it worse. And you don't have to look very hard. Everyone has their "cross to bear" in life - our own struggles. I don't want to hear any excuses and you shouldn't want to either. Do you really have that passion? Do you really want that goal? If the answer is YES, that's all you need. There is nothing more you need to know. If your answer is NO... then you haven't followed the first two steps! Go back and try again.

8 - CHANGE Your Perspective

If you think it's impossible, too hard, unreachable, too big, too many things in the way, or anything else along these lines then the problem isn't in front of you. The problem is inside of you. You need to change how you look at things. Look at the proverbial glass of water again. Look at another rorschach test or optical illusion. There is a balance of positive and negative around us all the time. Our perspective determines what we see. Will you look for the positive or the negative? We can train ourselves to see one over the other. 

rorschach tests

9 - It's OK to Reset a Stone
Sometimes we take our eyes off the goal when we set our stones. When we look up, either we can't see the goal anymore or it's no longer in front of us. It's okay to back up a little and move your stepping stone if you need to. It's not always clear as we go along. We don't always see the obstacles ahead. Like in a maze, we may need to backtrack and go a different direction. This doesn't mean you have failed unless you stop there and give up. As long as you are moving and working toward your goal - making progress - then you are doing what you need to do. When you get to this point, review the previous steps we've covered.

10 - Don't Let FEAR Rule
Fear is the single biggest obstacle to anything. Everyone has fears. If they disagree then they're lying. The difference is how we react to them. What we individually choose to do about our fears. Will we let the fear rule us or will we take the power away from the fear and use it to move us forward? When we let fear rule, we are giving it our power. Take your power back and you will see how strong you really are. You have the strength to reach your goals. It's in you and has been the whole time. What you have to tell yourself and REALLY hear in your soul is, "You've got this."

Welcome Me Home!

My new home site is up and live! Go check it out!!!

http://annsnizek.wix.com/ann-snizek 

I'll still be here. After all, this is where the Rambling Voices speak to me and you. So, keep an eye on new projects and other amazing news on my new home site, but stay tuned here for future ramblings!


Each of the page tabs on the new site have information, but they also have pages under them (drop down) So be sure to click on everything.  Also, there will be some modifications. My prices listed for Author Visits will come down. I followed a template and got crunched for time. LOL.

Drop by and take a look, let me know what you think (contact me), and check back at least in the next week or two to see the updates.

Ann Snizek goes to school…

...Well, several schools actually!

AUTHOR VISITS!!!

If you (or your child) would like to have me visit your school, pick your dates! Contact your school: teachers, librarians, reading instructors… My new home site should be live on August 20, 2015 and all the information needed to book an author visit will be found there! Don’t worry – this doesn’t mean that Rambling Voices in My Head is leaving. I will simply have a new platform for my books and my new ventures to stand on. 

And what amazing new ad-VENTURES await!?!?!?

I'll also be doing workshops for adults and available for speeches (keynote, banquets, etc)

All school presentations are intended to provide age appropriate education and entertainment that coincide with Common Core standards. Each will have instruction, discussion, activities, and interaction. They range from 30 minutes for the Kindergarten level up to a full 60 minutes for higher grades.

More presentations will be added.

Presentations available:

1 – Relationships: Accepting differences, conflict resolution, social and interpersonal interactions.

Let’s be Friends (K-4)

BFFs: Book Friends Forever (5-7)

Characteristics of a Friend (8-12)

2 – The Joys of Writing: Enjoying the creativity of various forms of writing with the use of poetry, songs, and writing activities.

Fun with Words (1-4)

Word Power (5-7)

Developing Your Story (8-12)

3 – Character Characteristics: Character identification and development, observation and vocabulary skills.

Who Are You? Who Am I? (K-4)

What a Character! (5-7)

Building a Strong Character (8-12)

Sale 3Days Only! To Eris - Human #PaytonChronicles 1

That's right! This weekend ONLY

To Eris - Human is going on sale!!!!

Print Available here:

Amazon ~ Createspace

Ebooks Available here:

Smashwords ~ Kindle

Note: Amazon may be delayed in pricing on Friday.

Goodreads Giveaway Winners!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!!!

I received notification today, as did the winners. Delivery will be within 4-6 weeks. 

I'm so excited to report that my first Goodreads Giveaway had a grand total of 

424 ENTRIES!!!

Thank you everyone who entered and everyone who helped spread the word! 

The winners (in no particular order) are:

Tammy Pooser (of GA)

Sharon Loucks (of WI)

Tiffany Armstrong (of NC)

Angela Cobb (of KY)

Holly Knece (of OH)

Congratulations again!

I hope you all enjoy your books!!!

If you'd like your own SIGNED copy, you can order it through my website:

Snow Flower Enterprises

Kirkus Review is in! (part 2)

Alright... As promised, here is the entire Kirkus review copied directly from the pdf they sent me. It's also available at the Kirkus website. Please stick with me till the end... it was a long process. LOL

First... let me say that I'm not upset about the actual review itself. It's an opinion. I don't agree with all of it, but it's not a bad review. I'm slightly annoyed about one comparison, but I can live with that. The errors and treatment by Kirkus, however... That's the issue.

Entire Review

TITLE INFORMATION
TO ERIS - HUMAN
Payton Chronicles Book 1
Snizek, Ann
$15.99 paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4823-5141-5; March 15, 2013

BOOK REVIEW
In Snizek’s (Secret of the Shielded, 2014, etc.) latest YA fantasy, a 16-year-old looking for ways to reinvent herself finds out that she’s a genetic hybrid.

Eris Payton is an ordinary teenage girl…almost. Her whole life, she’s felt awkward and friendless, as she and her mother are constantly moving from place to place. Her misery is compounded by the fact that her dad left the family when she was little and her mom is an abusive drinker and drug abuser. One day, Eris sees a mysterious boy in a convenience store—a boy that no one else can see. At first she thinks he’s a ghost, but the truth turns out to be even stranger: he’s actually two beings combined. One of them is Matt, a human who disappeared a while ago; the other is Nelson, an electric being called a lucent, who’s able to join with humans in a kind of symbiosis. When Matt ran away from home and nearly died, the lucent joined with him to save his life, and now the two exist as one being. Nelson tells Eris that a virus has been killing lucents, but he was told that she could help—although he doesn’t know how. It all sounds crazy to Eris, but after a particularly bad night at home, she decides to go with Nelson to his underground community. It turns out that something in her blood might hold the cure to the lucent virus; she also aims to finally find out what happened to her dad, who genetically engineered her before her birth. Snizek creates an engaging world in her portrayal of the lucent community. The book is sometimes slow-paced, however, and there are occasional flashes of other popular YA novels: for example, lucents have skin that glows in the sunlight (à la Twilight), and they must undergo an aptitude test to learn to control their flow of electricity. However, the romance between Eris and Nelson is sweet and believable. Eris herself is a likable protagonist who always comes across as smart and capable, even when she doesn’t understand the new world she’s discovered.

An entertaining, if occasionally slow, read for fans of the paranormal and fantasy genres.

~~~~~~~~~

When I first read this, I had concerns.

1. The Secret of the Shielded isn't even part of the same series. So, why is it referenced?
2. 2014 isn't the year To Eris - Human was published OR the year The Secret of the Shielded was published. (see pics at the bottom)
3. To Eris - Human is NOT a fantasy. It is a sci-fi/paranormal.

Now... These points have NOTHING to do with the actual review part. They are simply facts about the book that are wrong. This DOES however, cause me to think that perhaps the rest of the review may not be the honest and thorough review that I've always expected from Kirkus Reveiws. I've always dreamed of having my books reviewed by this company that has "The most authoritative book reviews, recommendations and author interviews in publishing." according to their advertising.

These errors have shaken my confidence, but I'm doing my best to accept the actual review part at face value.

So, what I did was email them. I thought perhaps it's an error as humans do (after all, look at the title of my book!)
Here is my email to them on July 8, 2015:

Dear Kirkus Reviews,

I have an issue with my review. It's not about whether the reviewer liked the book or not. But the reference within it. It shakes my confidence in the reviewer and causes me to question the thoroughness and attention to a review that was paid for. 

At the top of the review it shows the following:

TO ERIS - HUMAN 

Payton Chronicles Book 1 

Snizek, Ann 

$15.99 paperback 

ISBN: 978-1-4823-5141-5; March 15, 2013

BOOK REVIEW

In Snizek’s (Secret of the Shielded, 2014, etc.) latest YA fantasy... 

~~~~

Secret of the Shielded is one of my books and is a YA fantasy. However, it's in a completely different series even. Also, while To Eris - Human does have paranormal elements, I list it as a sci-fi/paranormal, not a fantasy.

I do disagree with one part of the actual review, because it seems the reviewer didn't understand what was written. I realize that will not likely change the review and I'm fine with this, but I believe I need to call this to your attention. 

"there are occasional flashes of other popular YA novels: for example, lucents have skin that glows in the sunlight (à la Twilight)" - Kirkus Review

Now, I realize the Twilight series is very popular and I do not entirely mind being compared in a good sense. However, here is an excerpt of my story that this comment is referring to. One line mentions the protagonist thinking about "glittery vampires", but the skin glowing itself is described in a manner that is not like Twilight and I feel it's misleading. 

Excerpt from To Eris - Human:

Nelson began to talk about the music and other small talk and gradually I relaxed to the smooth sound of his voice. He told me things about the area, both outside and within the trees. Something about the way he spoke drew me in. His face almost glowed as he mentioned his favorite spot to sit in the forest. Then I realized he kind of was glowing with the sunshine falling on him. It reminded me of sticking a flashlight to my skin when the power went out, only not so red.

Thoughts of glowing angels, phantoms, and even glittery vampires from various books and movies went through my mind, and the bowl slid out of my hands onto the floor. Thankfully, it only dumped a few chips out. My jaw hung open and my eyes bulged as I stared at him. When he noticed, he stopped talking and looked at me in confusion.

I hope you will resolve the error in referencing the wrong book as I wish to publish and use the review I paid for. I'd appreciate any information about resolving any of these concerns. I hope this isn't a reflection of the standards that I am to expect in future reviews. I, like so many others, hold Kirkus Reviews to extremely high standards and my faith has been shaken by this.


Thank you for your time,

Ann Snizek

~~~~~~~~~

After sending this, I waited. With this tour quickly approaching and wanting to share my review I'd waited so long to get with the world, the wait was excruciating for me. Six days later, I still hadn't heard anything. So, I sent another email on July 14, 2015 at 8:16 am.

Dear Indie department of Kirkus Reviews, 

Is there any particular reason why mentioning a completely different book, different copyright year, and different genre than the book submitted for review would be considered professional?

I'm shocked at the lack of response as well as the unprofessional "review" I received. If this is what I can expect from Kirkus, I'm seriously reconsidering submitting any future works to you. Or is this simply the Indie section of Kirkus? Are there lower standards for reviews of Indie authors?

I'm very disappointed in Kirkus Reviews quality at this point. 

Sincerely,

Ann Snizek

~~~~~~~~~

FINALLY... at 4:52 pm on July 14, 2015, I received a response from one of their interns. I've purposely left off the name of the intern.

Hi Ann, 

Thank you for your patience. I discovered your first message in my junk mail today and I apologize for this belated response. 

It is part of Kirkus’ established style to reference an author’s previous title in the review, regardless of whether or not we’ve reviewed other titles by the author. If you look at the other reviews published by Kirkus, you will see that this is standard for us. The intention is to give the reader some context and to highlight an author’s other work. We will not remove the parenthetical reference in the first line of your review. 

Let me know if I can clear anything else up for you. 

All the best,

~~~~~~~~~

My jaw just about hit the floor! They ignored most of my concerns. I do understand now why they referenced my other book. However, I looked up other reviews as suggested. Here are a few links to other books I found. These are random selections and I have not read any of the books.

Indie book reviews by Kirkus:

Heroes and Giants by Douglas B. Ashby (No mention of any other possible works or statement of it being a debut.)

Mind Over Bullies by D. K. Smith (It does have the same type of book reference, but it reads more clearly to me that it's not identifying the other book as the reviewed book)

GreyNet by DS Kane (The reference to other works here is very clearly referencing another work. There is no doubt that the book in parenthesis is NOT the book reviewed)

Traditionally published books reviewed by Kirkus:

Never Ending by Martyn Bedford (Starred review; published by Random; no mention as to whether this is a debut or not, but no reference to any other works)

The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove (Published by Viking; Grove's other work is mentioned, but not formatted in the same manner)

Playful Pigs from A to Z by Anita Lobel (Published by Knopf; No mention of other works or statement of it being a debut)

~~~~~~~~~

My point is that NOT all of them are listed the same way. Even if they were, the copyright year is still incorrect for either book. I publish my books through Smashwords.com and Createspace.com ...

Both of my books referenced were published in 2013. In fact, of my 19 published works, I published all of them in 2013 with the exception of the first one (Tunuftol's Fortress of Light) which was published 12/12/12 on Smashwords then in January of 2013 through Createspace.

So.... While I did find a few comments in my review that I feel are "quotable" and I intend to use them so as not to feel the money spent was a COMPLETE waste, I seriously doubt that I will ever use Kirkus Reviews again. In fact, I will now look upon ALL of their reviews as questionable and possibly biased.

I definitely feel reviews of my books by individuals are far more valuable to me than the one I've paid for.

My experience is just that... my experience. I cannot speak for others who have or will receive reviews by Kirkus. In my opinion, they did not behave in a respectful, professional manner. This is what I have issues with.

NOTE: For those of you who have read (and especially those who have reviewed) To Eris - Human, you may find it interesting that you can comment on the Kirkus Review page.

Please check out today's other stop at: 

Thoughts of an Aspiring Wordsmith 

and see her review.

I hope you'll come back tomorrow and also continue following the tour. Tomorrow's stop also has a review. So, please stop by tomorrow to see what they have to say about...

To Eris - Human

The Voluptuous Book Diva

Giveaway will have the current cover, not the old cover displayed on Goodreads. 

(current cover released June 2015)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

To Eris - Human

by Ann Snizek

Giveaway ends July 18, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

A to Z: Tunuftol Time Surprise!

UNUFTOL TIME

I have a BIG, LARGE, HUGE, ENORMOUS, MASSIVE, MOUNTAINOUS, GIGANTIC, COLOSSAL, TITANIC, TREMENDOUS, IMMENSE, STUPENDOUS.... SURPRISE!!!

Yes! My first novel and the following two books in the series 

-- Tunuftol's Fortress of Light, Secret of the Shielded, and The Jewel of Nirel respectively -- 

HAVE NEW COVERS REVEALED HERE AND NOW!!!!

(Rafflecopter Giveaway below! TWO prizes!!!)

Two prizes!! You could win all 3 or your pick of one!

Ebooks with new covers are available. Printed copies have not updated the cover yet.

How the books came to be:

Smashwords ~ Kindle ~ B&N 

I first published Tunuftol's Fortress of Light on 12/12/12. The date was specifically chosen so that I could remember it. The first draft resulted from my first NaNoWriMo challenge. I'd reached the goal of 50,000 words in three weeks, but couldn't seem to stop writing. So, I didn't. Instead, I continued to write book two, then book three, and as sequences have it... I started book four after that.  

After I started writing the fourth book, I decided -- for better or worse I don't know -- to stop writing and go back to edit. After a couple rounds of edits, driving my family crazy with "here - read this" and "how does it sound now", my youngest daughter told me that it didn't completely suck.

Encouraged by the non-total suckiness, I edited more. After countless edits and revisions, I felt it was ready to face the world. So, I sent it in queries to a few agents.

Smshwords ~ Kindle ~ Nook

Not surprisingly, my queries DID suck. I'm sure none of the agents even got to the sample (if it was included). Looking back at them now... I'm really not surprised. Sad, but not surprised.

Anyway, to wrap this up, I did a few more rounds of edits and self-published.

About the Tunuftol world:

Tunuftol has the feel of a fantasy. Magic, powers, prophets & prophecies, elves, fairies, travelling on horse back, even sword fights. However, it's also very much a soft science fiction. They travel from Earth through a portal to another planet. Nyssa is a sentient planet. It modifies it's people and grants them names and powers that are partially inherited through their bloodlines (genetics) and partly because of something that Nyssa sees in the person.

Smashwords ~ Kindle ~ Nook

There are tunuftolates (small creatures indigenous to Nyssa) and many other amazing discoveries that show hidden elements of the science of this series. It's written for YA, but I strive to pull the readers along into Krissa's world as she goes. If you can't escape into a YA sci-fi/fantasy... why read it?

The characters are real. It's all real. I know them better than I know most people. Ask me a question about their motives, feelings, etc... I can tell you the why and how of it. (Not that I will if it's a secret or pivotal to the story line. No spoilers sweetie.)

I'm so excited about the new covers... What better way to celebrate than to have another giveaway? By the way... by following one of the items in the Rafflecopter, it also enters you in the giveaway mentioned earlier in my A to Z Challenge. ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Can't forget today's choices for blogs! And the choices are.... (drum roll please)....

1. Green Bean Teen Queen - This lady is great! Love her style and personality that shows through.
2. The Book Cellar - Cute site! Great review source.
3. The Penguin Blog - From Penguin publishing house. Its setup reminds me of Pinterest. I like it.

The Rambling Voices are fighting...

OOPS... I'm shaking my head and laughing at myself. I was supposed to take yesterday, Sunday, off. For some reason I posted today's post a day early. 

Since I had preset the others, I'll simply pretend that this is my Sunday non-post. So, instead... I'm going to share a few memes I like and things that may apply to today.  

Hehehe

And some more wonderful quotes and instructions from wonderful people...

Thank you!

Have a wonderful day.

Don't forget to enter the A to Z Giveaway I posted yesterday! 

LOL

A to Z: Goodreads & Giveaway

oodreads & Giveaway

Okay… I’m not completely familiar with all the features on Goodreads. I probably should do more investigating. I know there are lots of resources there. Including, to my surprise, a giveaway set up!

WOW! I may be a bit behind, slow to pick up on things, but at least I finally did. LOL

So, I had a great idea for my upcoming blog tour of To Eris – Human. I’ve set up a giveaway of FIVE SIGNED PAPERBACKS!!! The giveaway is set to coincide with the tour and I’m very excited! You can follow the link at the top of the sidebar on this site and Snow Flower Enterprises.

I’m so excited that I’d like to celebrate everything going on:

1. I’m doing better at getting “out there” in the virtual world with Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
2. I've got bumper stickers
3. Post cards coming
4. New business cards
5. An upcoming tour
6. Attending my first meet and greet
7. Submitting To Eris – Human for a Kirkus Review
8. I’m enjoying My A to Z Challenge
9. AND discovering the Goodreads Giveaway!!!

In trying to figure out what to do for this celebratory giveaway on here, I came up with the following….

Tweet this post about the giveaway

And/or

Share it on Facebook….

Then copy and paste your links to your Tweet and/or Facebook share in the comments below. This will let me verify your share/tweet, thank you, and contact you if you win.

You get one “entry” per share/tweet.

All entries will be sent for a random drawing through MiniWebTool's Random Name Picker, and the winner will be announced on my Wrap Up post at the end of My A to Z Challenge. (June 10, 2015)

Picture of the bumper sticker

1st place: 

· An ebook copy of To Eris – Human

· A signed postcard

· A signed bumper sticker

2nd place:

· A signed postcard

· A bumper sticker

Picture of the post card front

3rd place:

· A postcard

Today's three blogs going on my new list to keep track of!

1. Fantasy Book Critic - If ever I need a new book, I'm looking here! WOW! Tons of books.
2. Storytime Books - I love it! The whole site is sweet! Great books and reviews.
3. Ariesgrl Book Reviews - Interesting look to this site. It's well organized.

A to Z: Fabulous Fans

abulous Fans!

I have some amazing fans -- absolutely FABULOUS! I really appreciate your support and encouragement. My goal is to get out there and connect with more fans.

In this search for new fans, I find myself asking what fans want. I love reading interviews of my favorite authors, hearing about new projects, getting swag or anything signed! What are some things you like?

Another challenge I've uncovered is how to get people interactive. I know I'm a bit quirky. LOL. I tend to keep to myself, but open up when certain topics come up. I call them my soap box topics. Anything that I can talk about forever.... or nearly as long.

Some of my "happy" soap box topics are books, writing, literacy, and education. I love talking about my projects, but I like hearing others too. It stimulates my imagination. There have been times where I've listened to someone talking about their projects of vampires or romance, and somehow my mind will burst to life with ideas about dragons and magic swords or mysterious spheres that alter physics.

I don't know how it works, but as long as it does, I'm not going to complain. 

Here are 3 more blogs that I just discovered during my challenge. I've added them to my "watch" list.

1. Triskele Books - LOVE it! Great insight and very helpful as well as great reviews. Wow!
2. Indie Book Blog - Great site. I enjoy the style and comfort in the reviews.
3. Honest Indie Book Reviews - Another great site with lots of great reviews!

I hit the triple jackpot today. Three incredible sites that all review indie books! How incredible is that?